Great news for baseball enthusiasts: the 2025 MLB regular season has kicked off earlier than ever. The Tokyo Series commenced on Tuesday, featuring the Chicago Cubs facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite most teams still engaging in spring training, the Cubs and Dodgers have journeyed to Tokyo for a two-game series that counts in the regular season standings. The defending champion Dodgers started strong, emerging victorious in the first match 4-1, powered by an excellent performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and key hits from Shohei Ohtani.
As the 2025 seasons of the Cubs and Dodgers are underway, baseball fans are eager to know when the rest of the league will begin its regular-season games. Here’s what you need to know about MLB Opening Day 2025.
When is MLB Opening Day 2025?
For the Cubs and Dodgers, Opening Day officially took place on Tuesday, March 18, in Tokyo. They are set to compete in another regular-season game on Wednesday before returning to the U.S. to wrap up spring training.
For the remaining 26 MLB teams, Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, featuring 14 games. The Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees will kick off at 3:05 p.m. ET, followed shortly by the Baltimore Orioles against the Toronto Blue Jays. The last two games of the day—Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners—are set to start at 10:10 p.m. ET. Notably, both the Cubs and Dodgers will also take the field on March 27, despite their earlier games in Tokyo.
What is the MLB Tokyo Series?
The MLB organized a two-game series between the Cubs and Dodgers in Tokyo to kick off the 2025 season, occurring a week before domestic Opening Day. Both teams feature notable Japanese players, such as Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Dodgers’ Wednesday starter Roki Sasaki, along with Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki and Tuesday’s starter Shota Imanaga.
MLB Opening Day 2025 schedule
As mentioned, the Brewers and Yankees will begin play on March 27 at 3:05 p.m. ET, with ESPN broadcasting the Detroit Tigers vs. Dodgers game at 7:10 p.m. ET, marking the day’s only two national broadcasts.
MLB Opening Day 2025 starting pitchers
With the regular season approaching, several teams have identified their Opening Day pitchers. The Dodgers have chosen Yamamoto for Game 1 of the Tokyo Series, where he pitched against Imanaga. The following pitchers have been confirmed for domestic Opening Day:
- Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs. Carlos Rodón (NYY)
- Zach Eflin (BAL) vs. José Berríos (TOR)
- Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX)
- Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. MacKenzie Gore (WAS)
- Tanner Bibee (CLE) vs. Cole Ragans (KCR)
- Clay Holmes (NYM) vs. Framber Valdez (HOU)
- Logan Webb (SFG) vs. Hunter Greene (CIN)
- Chris Sale (ATL) vs. Michael King (SDP)
- Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) vs. Sean Burke (CWS)
- Paul Skenes (PIT) vs. Sandy Alcantara (MIA)
- Pablo López (MIN) vs. Sonny Gray (STL)
- Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. TBD (LAD)
- Justin Steele (CHC) vs. Zac Gallen (ARI)
- Luis Severino (ATH) vs. Logan Gilbert (SEA)
- TBD (COL) vs. Shane McClanahan (TBR)*
*-Game on March 28
The Dodgers and Rockies remain the only teams yet to announce their starting pitchers for their initial regular-season outings following the Tokyo Series.
